Going to Prison, Part II: Getting In, the Visiting Room, and Lockdown
By Debora Gordon After my visit with Lt. Smith, I had some time to kill that Friday evening in Delano, California. While there may be more than meets the tourist […]
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Alicia’s Story
I asked her what she would say directly to Lam if she could speak to him. At first, she was silent. And after a moment, tears flowed from her eyes, and her mother followed suit. Soon, all three of us were crying. What can someone say to someone else who caused such grievous injury? Finally, she just said that she would ask, “Why did you do this?” She said there was nothing Lam could say to her.
‘Want to spend the rest of your life in prison?’: A Judge’s Advice & Some Murky Testimony
“You’re only 19 or so," Lam's judge said to him at the hearing. "I’m sure it’s difficult to conceive or imagine that many years in custody. But I think that leads some people to go to trial and after they get a sentence with life, then think, ‘what did I do? I’m here for the rest of my life, most likely.’ There’s not a huge difference, I don’t see, between 20 years and 25 years, when it means you get out. You can have a life. And quite frankly, for a fleeting moment, I thought, ‘Oh you want a trial? You want to spend the rest of your life in prison?'’’
A Message to Oakland: Love’s in Need of Love Today
Is there any love left in The Town? If we look at the homicide rate of 2012 alone, one might say that love is impossible, if not non-existent. But I beg to differ. I see the love here.
Alicia’s Story
I asked her what she would say directly to Lam if she could speak to him. At first, she was silent. And after a moment, tears flowed from her eyes, and her mother followed suit. Soon, all three of us were crying. What can someone say to someone else who caused such grievous injury? Finally, she just said that she would ask, “Why did you do this?” She said there was nothing Lam could say to her.
‘Want to spend the rest of your life in prison?’: A Judge’s Advice & Some Murky Testimony
“You’re only 19 or so," Lam's judge said to him at the hearing. "I’m sure it’s difficult to conceive or imagine that many years in custody. But I think that leads some people to go to trial and after they get a sentence with life, then think, ‘what did I do? I’m here for the rest of my life, most likely.’ There’s not a huge difference, I don’t see, between 20 years and 25 years, when it means you get out. You can have a life. And quite frankly, for a fleeting moment, I thought, ‘Oh you want a trial? You want to spend the rest of your life in prison?'’’
A Message to Oakland: Love’s in Need of Love Today
Is there any love left in The Town? If we look at the homicide rate of 2012 alone, one might say that love is impossible, if not non-existent. But I beg to differ. I see the love here.